Qty	Item	Description	Price	Total
	Subtotal	$0.00

2020 Clairault Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

Blend

85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.5% Merlot, 5.5% Petit Verdot

Vineyard

48.5% Ironstone Vineyard, Wilyabrup
42% Clairault Vineyard, Wilyabrup
9.5% Yallingup Protea Farm, Yallingup

Winemaking Note

The Cabernet Sauvignon portion of the blend is de-stemmed and crushed, so that each berry is just split. This is to ensure minimal berry degradation during the fermentation process. Our Merlot is crushed as to fully expose the delicate flesh and promote a more refined and elegant textural development. Our ferments are, by industry standards, cool and gentle, allowing slower, more controlled extraction of tannin and flavour. The wine is pumped over three times a day and then judiciously backed off as the wine develops.
This wine was on skins in the fermenter for 14 days, before gentle pressing and barrelling down. The result is clean, pure fruit flavours, boasting supple yet powerful tannin. The wine was aged in French oak for 10 months bottling.

Vintage Conditions

The 2020 vintage was unforgettable. The region experienced a perfect growing season with warmer than average spring temperatures and ideal summer conditions. Little to no rain, low disease risk and timely flowering of the Marri trees to distract the birds, eased pressure in the vineyard. The relative ease of vintage was in stark contrast to the happenings of the world at the time, with ferocious bushfires ravaging the East Coast and the Covid-19 outbreak unravelling. Yields were down in 2020 resulting in exceptional fruit concentration.

Aroma

Cassis, violets and black berries, hints of cedar, dark chocolate and freshly roasted coffee.

Palate

Clean lines of red fruit, driven by fine lines of pristine fruit tannin and an underlay of darker mocha and plum glaze tones. A soft finish of yet more black fruits and a lifted finish of blossoms and black currants.

Cellaring

Up to 8 years, however we enjoy it for freshness now.

Alcohol

14%

Accolades

92/100 - International Wine & Spirits Competition 2023

In Stock

Wine Specs

Vintage

2020

Varietal

Cabernet Blends

Vineyard Designation

Bridgelands, Clairault, Yallingup Protea Farm

Acid

6.09

3.59

Aging

Up to 8 years, however we enjoy it for freshness now.

Residual Sugar

2.32

Alcohol %

Wine Profile

Tasting Notes

A classic Margaret River blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. This wine has vibrant aromas of mulberries, vanilla pod, freshly ground coffee and violets. The palate is rich and luscious with mulberries continuing through, black currants and dark chocolate with an elegant finish of bold tannin and soft, glazed plum.

Awards

SILVER - Wine Show of WA

Vineyard Notes

Bridgelands, Clairault and Yallingup Protea Farm.

Production Notes

The Cabernet Sauvignon portion of the blend is de-stemmed and crushed, so that each berry is just split. Our Merlot is crushed as to fully expose the delicate flesh and promote a more refined and elegant textural development. Our ferments are, by industry standards, cool and gentle, allowing slower, more controlled extraction of tannin and flavour. The wine is pumped over three times a day and then judiciously backed off as the wine develops. This wine was on skins in the fermenter for 14 days, before gentle pressing and barrelling down. The result is clean, pure fruit flavours, boasting supple yet powerful tannin. The wine was aged in French oak for 10 months before the wine was balanced, clarified and bottled.

Other Notes

After an unseasonable dry early Winter, late rains in August and September came to the rescue. Budburst commenced in early August and continued until late September. Significant rain events persisted through to mid-October, with conditions fining up through the flowering period enabling successful flowering and fruit set. Vine growth was excellent and excess vigour issues were dealt with by employing shoot thinning and vine de-legging practices, in a successful attempt to deter regrowth and crowding of fruit zone areas. Harvest began on the 27th January, in line with the earliest picking dates on record, trailing out until completion on the 13th April.